Tom is the Trustee and Director of the Parker Family Trusts in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a position he has held since 1999.  Prior to that, he was the Church Administrator of the First United Methodist Church of Tulsa.  During his tenure at First, the church purchased two blocks of downtown Tulsa, demolished all the existing structures, and constructed the Youth and Family Center, a 72,000 square foot recreation and classroom facility that serves the entire community.  The total $8.2 million cost of the project was fully paid off within 14 months of the facility’s opening in 1996.  Prior to his tenure at First, Tom was the Director of Finance for the United Methodist Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City and was the Controller for the Oklahoma Conference Treasurer’s office.

Tom has been a lay delegate to the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 General and South Central Jurisdictional Conferences.  He has held various leadership positions within the Oklahoma Conference including Chair of the Board of Pensions, Chair of the Health Insurance Committee, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Methodist Manor Retirement Community, Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Tulsa Wesley Foundation and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Oklahoma Conference Council on Finance and Administration. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from East Central Oklahoma State University.

Tom is married to Kelly, the Volunteers In Mission Coordinator for First UMC in Tulsa.  They have three adult children; Stephanie, Sara and Michael; two sons-in-law, Kevin and Ryan and one granddaughter, Ava.  Stephanie is a second grade teacher in Broken Arrow, OK; Sara is a middle school math teacher in Carrolton, TX and Michael is the Washington D.C. office manager and legislative correspondent for US Senator Tom Coburn.    

Raised a Catholic in central Oklahoma Tom met his future wife, Kelly, while attending a United Methodist youth camp in high school.  Together they have been involved in youth camps and missions, Walk to Emmaus, as small group leaders, confirmation teachers and adult Sunday school class founders.